{"id":2166,"date":"2020-05-01T20:54:13","date_gmt":"2020-05-01T20:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metc.ie\/?page_id=2166"},"modified":"2020-05-01T20:54:13","modified_gmt":"2020-05-01T20:54:13","slug":"g-the-language-of-exam-questions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/metc.ie\/index.php\/g-the-language-of-exam-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"G. The language of exam questions\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

As already\u00a0stated, exams don\u2019t just test your ability to remember information, they also\u00a0 test your ability to answer particular types of questions. For this reason, you\u00a0must\u00a0practice writing full answers<\/b>\u00a0to questions from past papers. In\u00a0this way you can work on your\u00a0depth of answering<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0timing<\/b>\u00a0so\u00a0that you will not lose marks because of poor\u00a0exam technique<\/b>\u00a0on exam day.\u00a0Good exam technique is crucial to performing well. The first, and most\u00a0critical, step is to\u00a0read the question carefully<\/b>\u00a0and accurately\u00a0interpret\u00a0<\/b>its meaning. Sometimes this is not always straightforward.\u00a0Misinterpreting\u00a0questions<\/b>\u00a0is one of the biggest errors students make in exams.\u00a0Unfortunately, answering a question you weren\u2019t asked will gain you little or\u00a0no marks.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, how do you go\u00a0about\u00a0reading the question?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

All exam\u00a0questions contain\u00a0two types of words<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 \u2018topic or theme\u2019 words and\u00a0\u2018command or instruction\u2019 words.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identifying the key\u00a0\u2018topic\u2019<\/b>\u00a0words or phrases<\/b>\u00a0in the question will help you to work\u00a0out\u00a0what the question is about.\u00a0<\/b>You could\u00a0underline<\/b>\u00a0these words\u00a0or phrases \u2013 and use a particular colour, eg. blue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identifying the\u00a0\u2018command\u2019\u00a0<\/b>words in the question helps you work out what you are being\u00a0instructed to do<\/b>.\u00a0What does the\u00a0examiner<\/b>\u00a0want? You could\u00a0box<\/b>\u00a0these words \u2013 and use\u00a0a particular, but different, colour, eg. red. Remember there could be more than\u00a0one command word in a question, eg. List and explain, Mark and label, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next step is\u00a0to be clear about what exactly each of the command words mean. Knowing the\u00a0difference between similar \u2018command\u2019 words is especially important.<\/span><\/p>\n

Familiarise\u00a0yourself with the following\u00a0terms or command words<\/b>\u00a0and their\u00a0meanings\/definitions\u00a0<\/b>commonly used in exam questions:<\/span><\/p>\n

Analyse:<\/b>\u00a0say why things happened (eg. in\u00a0history) and how they affected events that came later.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amplify:<\/b>\u00a0explain further, give extra details.<\/span><\/p>\n

Assess:<\/b>\u00a0give a judgement about something. Was it\u00a0a success or a failure?<\/span><\/p>\n

Brief\/briefly:<\/b>\u00a0Make a short concise statement \u2013\u00a0details are not necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Calculate:<\/b>\u00a0Determine, show how the answer was\u00a0obtained.<\/span><\/p>\n

Classify:<\/b>\u00a0Arrange items into particular groups.<\/span><\/p>\n

Comment on:<\/b>\u00a0Make observations on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Comment on the\u00a0validity of:<\/b>\u00a0Say,\u00a0giving reasons, whether the statement is true or false.<\/span><\/p>\n

Compare:<\/b>\u00a0Discuss items and at the same time,\u00a0identify their similarities and differences.<\/span><\/p>\n

Contrast:<\/b>\u00a0Discuss items and at the same time,\u00a0identify their differences. Compare in such a way as to emphasise differences.<\/span><\/p>\n

Correlate:<\/b>\u00a0Show connections between different\u00a0items.<\/span><\/p>\n

Criticise:<\/b>\u00a0Examine the evidence and give your\u00a0views.<\/span><\/p>\n

Define:<\/b>\u00a0State clearly and concisely the meaning\u00a0 of.<\/span><\/p>\n

Describe:<\/b>\u00a0Trace out and give a general account\u00a0of.<\/span><\/p>\n

Discuss\/discuss\u00a0critically the view that:\u00a0<\/b>Debate, giving arguments for (Pros) and against (Cons).<\/span><\/p>\n

Distinguish\u00a0between:<\/b>\u00a0Show what\u00a0makes things different.<\/span><\/p>\n

Emphasise:<\/b>\u00a0Highlight and lay stress on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Evaluate:<\/b> Analyse, judge, assess the amount, number, value, importance of.. or soundness of..\u00a0 eg. an argument put forward. In Maths \u2013 a\u00a0<\/span>numerical expression or equivalent for..an equation, formula or function.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Examine:\u00a0<\/b>Inspect something thoroughly in order to determine its nature or condition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Explain:<\/b>\u00a0Make clear and understandable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Explore:\u00a0<\/b>Inquire into or discuss in detail,\u00a0examine or evaluate.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Give evidence:<\/b>\u00a0Give proofs or reasons for.<\/span><\/p>\n

Give an\u00a0account of:<\/b>\u00a0Give a description\u00a0or explanation of.<\/span><\/p>\n

Give an\u00a0illustrated account:\u00a0<\/b>Support\u00a0your description with\u00a0labelled\/annotated\u00a0diagrams or back up your explanations with examples.<\/span><\/p>\n

Give reasons\u00a0for:<\/b>\u00a0Explain or give\u00a0evidence for.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identify:\u00a0<\/b>Establish or indicate who or what (someone or something) is<\/span><\/p>\n

Indicate:<\/b>\u00a0Show or point out clearly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Illustrate:<\/b>\u00a0Show clearly, using examples or\u00a0diagrams if necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Label:<\/b>\u00a0Identify and name the parts of the\u00a0diagram, graph, photograph or map.<\/span><\/p>\n

List:<\/b>\u00a0Give an itemised record of.\u00a0Descriptions or explanations are not required.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mark:<\/b>\u00a0Draw in an item-as on a map\/diagram.<\/span><\/p>\n

Name:\u00a0<\/b>Identify someone or something. \u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Outline:<\/b>\u00a0Give a precise, brief account of the\u00a0main points, features or ideas without the details, or, briefly state the\u00a0general plan.<\/span><\/p>\n

Refer to\/with\u00a0reference to:<\/b>\u00a0Make\u00a0mention of.<\/span><\/p>\n

Relate\/what is\u00a0the relationship:<\/b>\u00a0Connect\/\u00a0what is the connection between.<\/span><\/p>\n

Show:\u00a0<\/b>Display your workings-as in Maths, Mark\/draw in an item-as on a map\/diagram.<\/span><\/p>\n

State:<\/b>\u00a0Express in words.<\/span><\/p>\n

Summarise:<\/b>\u00a0Give a concise broad account covering\u00a0the main points only. (Same as \u2018outline\u2019)<\/span><\/p>\n

Trace:<\/b> Follow an idea, argument or set of images through an entire piece of writing from start to finish. Or, follow\u00a0<\/span>developments over a period of time.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Treat of:<\/b>\u00a0Same as \u2018give an account of\u2019, \u2018trace\u2019,\u00a0<\/b>\u2018outline\u2019.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

What is the\u00a0basis for:<\/b>\u00a0What is the\u00a0principle for or what is the foundation for\u2026\u00a0.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the\u00a0significance for:<\/b>\u00a0Why\u00a0is it important or what is the meaning of<\/span><\/p>\n

Write notes\u00a0on:<\/b>\u00a0Give a short\u00a0summary in words.<\/span><\/p>\n

A very useful\u00a0exercise would be to go through your\u00a0past exam papers<\/b>\u00a0and identify the\u00a0subjects in which these instruction words frequently appear.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As already\u00a0stated, exams don\u2019t just test your ability to remember information, they also\u00a0 test your ability to answer particular types of questions. For this reason, you\u00a0must\u00a0practice writing full answers\u00a0to questions from past papers. In\u00a0this way you can work on your\u00a0depth of answering\u00a0and\u00a0timing\u00a0so\u00a0that you will not lose marks because of poor\u00a0exam technique\u00a0on exam day.\u00a0Good exam technique<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2166","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metc.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metc.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metc.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metc.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metc.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2166"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/metc.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2325,"href":"https:\/\/metc.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2166\/revisions\/2325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metc.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metc.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metc.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}